Sumpter, who learned a year ago that he had bone cancer, played in the marching band at Pelham High School, where he would have been a senior this fall. Despite chemotherapy, the spread of cancer and a tumor in his right leg, he was able to march in the high school band for eight of 10 football games last fall. The school held a pep rally for him and the junior class signed a Spirit Stick for him.

He played drums and guitar in the praise team at Westwood Baptist Church in Alabaster. Sumpter also wrote music and recorded many of his original songs. He was a speaker at the Awakening crusade at the Verizon Wireless Music Center in October that featured Evangelist Scott Dawson and radio personality Rick Burgess. He played music at WorkPlay before a Taylor Hicks concert and at the Helena Fourth of July celebration.

"I'm a very spiritual person," he said in November. "You have to keep God as part of your life and pray. You've got to trust God through it all. When you don't have God, that's truly when you're alone."

Sumpter underwent surgery on Saturday to relieve fluid in his lungs, then played drums at Westwood Baptist on Sunday morning. He died this morning. "He was at peace; he was so ready to go," said his father, Jim Sumpter.

"His hope was he could touch other people, so they could come to know Christ," Jim Sumpter said. "He wanted people to see Christ through him."

There will be a celebration of life service for Sumpter at Westwood Baptist in Alabaster on Thursday at 6 p.m.